Alla Perfezione
by YarningChick
Summary: Why would anyone want perfection when growth comes from flaws? -Shannon L. Adler


A/N: We interrupt our regularly scheduled story to bring you this special one-shot. I wasn't planning on writing this, but you know how those plot bunnies won't go away quietly. Even better, it's given me more awesome plot bunnies for future stories.

Special thanks to FutileCrux for beta-ing this in such a hurry and for providing the name, which is Italian for 'To Perfection'. You're awesome!

Happy Birthday, Catie!

P.S. You might need some toothpaste after reading this. Lots of fluffy sugar.

vvWvv

_If someone is too perfect, they won't look good._

_Imperfection is important._

_-Eric Cantona_

xxXxx

In a small room with no windows, a young man in a tan apron was working by the light of an oil lamp. His hands, already raw from picking wood splinters out of his skin, were hard at work with a needle and thread as he struggled to make his stitches as small as possible.

He wasn't an extraordinary looking lad, having a face was neither handsome nor ugly and a physique distinctly average in height and build. Even the soft crown of hair and the tone of his skin were a mismatched affair between light and dark. He was a young man that could, and did, blend into many places with a near complete anonymity.

However, while he was not well known in his community, those that did thought well of him, and considered him a good apprentice to his old keeper.

"Just how do tailors put up with doing this every day?" he muttered under his breath as he continued his best efforts to make a small dress. "This thing's taking forever, and it's not even for a human!"

Too bad his very apprenticeship meant that he was far from done with playing with needle and fabric.

Growling in frustration, Nevin set the bit of sewing aside for now, and decided to focus on what he thought was the worthwhile part.

A doll had been sitting patiently on the desk, almost completely hidden in the shadows until he reached over and picked her up.

He handled the doll with care, his expression softening as he looked at her. It had taken him over a month to carve this doll, and it showed in the soft alabaster wood. He had initially wanted to make this toy as a solid piece, but the more he thought of it, the more it didn't sit right with him.

This special girl was a dancer, and it would have been a terrible punishment to trap her inside a body that couldn't take a single step. The hinges on her joints had been a major reason why her creation had taken so long, but the result was well worth it.

With all the care he had been taught, he sanded the remaining rough spots off her small body before reaching for his box full of paints. Some thinned out pink paint brought just the right touch of warmth to that white body, but it also forced him to return to the dress for now.

The bits of cloth and lace were sold to his master from the local seamstress guild. They were a proud lot, but the scraps that were gleaned from them were of high quality. Nothing less than high society and performers were clothed from this same fabric.

The outer dress was done, but not the frilly tutu that would make the skirt puff out. Not a lot, just enough to flatter her slim form.

A heavy thud pounded on the door. "Nevin? It's time to close up shop."

The familiar voice made him quickly cover the fruits of his labor. "I'll be right out!" he called back.

A warm laugh reverberated through the solid wood. "Last time you said that, you missed out on supper. Put the project down, and come out."

Nevin gave the faceless dancer a regretful look, but forced himself to put the tutu down and do his master's bidding.

ooOoo

The next day, the young apprentice picked up where he left off. Now that the dancer's skin was just the right shade between white and pink, he set her carefully on an old worn pillow to keep her steady as he readied his paints again.

The eyes came first. To ensure the look he wanted, he softly exaggerated the doe brown eyes' size to give her the appearance of youth and innocence. The nose and mouth had already been formed by the shape of the wood, but he added a delicate shade of pink to those tiny lips for definition. He lightly touched each of her cheeks, but then tried to rub the color off for being too much.

But when mostly rubbed off, the hint was just right for a subtle blush. Back to the dress then. Erg, if he wasn't careful, the dress was going to take longer than the actual doll.

The tutu was done and inserted into the dress, but there was still something missing. He held the dress up to the doll enough to give him an idea of what it would look like on her, but it didn't help. The garment was a perfect pale blue that looked amazing on her skin tone and brought out the color in her eyes.

Maybe something to put on the waist of the dress. A silk rose, perhaps. Pink to bring out the color in her cheeks…

ooOoo

The following day, every nerve was stretched as tautly as possible as he intentionally ruined the smooth surface of the dancer's scalp, drilling holes in one neat line after another, routinely blowing the tiny bits of loose wood out of the way in order to keep working. Once he was satisfied that there were sufficient holes, Nevin set his drilling tool aside for the small chest that held one of the finishing touches.

His master paid the barber to save all the hair he trimmed off, and the man was even good enough to keep all the trimmings separate. With delight, the young apprentice handled the soft brown hair of a modest merchant's daughter, and got to the task of gluing the tips in order to set them into the doll's head.

The glue had to set before he could attempt anything with it, but he did set the doll on the pillow to encourage neatness if not flatness.

Drat. He forgot to make ballet slippers. Hopefully, he had enough satin to fashion a tiny pair. If he did, the doll could be done by tomorrow.

Double drat. She needed tights as well, but at least he could paint those on.

ooOoo

Handling his precious doll as carefully as possible, Nevin slipped her into the dress he had prepared for her, and double checked how it fitted after her arms were in the tiny puffy sleeves. The fit was slightly roomy, but easily fixed as he adjusted the back in order to sew the dress right onto her body. That took another hour, since he hated sewing, but at least you couldn't tell from the stitch work. It was as smoothly done as if he had access to a scaled-down tailor. The ballet slippers were tied on with ease, which left the task of trimming the hair. He chose one that ended at her waist, but that didn't seem right.

He brushed off the feeling and tied the hair into a simple pony tail with an extremely thin ribbon, since he didn't know how to do the traditional bun that ballet dancers wore.

Once that was done, he held up his creation for a good look, but then swung both arms in an elegant sweep above her head while simultaneously bending her legs; the wooden limbs smoothing adjusting in their sockets. With a gentle movement he straightened and turned her, twirling his doll in a graceful pirouette.

The girl he had made didn't look like a prima donna. If anything, she looked like one of the supporting dancers, the ones that were little more than part of the scenery. Impulsively, he brought her to his chest in a comforting hug, since he was usually considered the same.

"Don't worry. There's a girl somewhere that's just waiting to love you the way you are." _"I can only hope the same is true for me.'_

With his newly created doll tucked into one arm, he walked out of his little workshop and to his master's door, from behind which the soft rhythmic creak of weight on wood emanated. "Master?" he called out, knocking politely on the door. "I have finished."

"Excellent! Let's see it, then," he called back, setting down a toy as the young apprentice opened the door.

He gaped in surprise. He hadn't been told that the toy master was working on a doll of his own. Compared to that one, the girl in his arms was as clumsy as his first toy attempt.

The old master noticed where he was looking, and smiled gently. "Why don't we exchange and critique this time? I intentionally left a flaw in this one for you to find."

Nevin nodded dumbly, although he wanted to shrink back in shame. _That _doll was a work of art. Even a child could have seen that. But he still carefully relinquished the girl in his arm for the dashing gentleman on the counter.

Well… maybe gentleman wasn't quite the right term. Certainly, he was dressed as finely as a lord, and even had a cane in one hand. His stature was straight and proud, and yet his eyes gleamed with gentle warmth.

He was also a ginger cat. But the quiet confidence he seemed to embody made it impossible to question the peculiarity.

"You forgot whiskers," Nevin stated after a few moments of studying him.

The toy master looked up in surprise from where he was having the ballerina dance over the tabletop. "That was unexpected," he murmured, turning his attention back to her. "Two flaws, then."

Even as the apprentice turned back to the feline gentleman, he felt a thrill of triumph. _'He still makes mistakes without trying to! There's hope for me yet!' _Now if he could just find the other flaw…

Noticing that the dapper cat had movable limbs as well, he started playing with them, arranging for the doll to be able to sit on the counter, and even walk with a bit of assistance.

The legs were fine.

"This arm won't rotate to his chest," Nevin announced with confidence while playing with the left one. "There's a good half inch of space."

"Very good," the old man approved as he kept playing with the ballerina. "I'll chase down Renaldo later for the whiskers, but I have no intention of fixing the arm. You know how I feel about imperfections."

The younger man nodded, reciting the advice in a heartbeat. "Perfection is boring, a flaw adds personality."

"That's right. Take your little lady here." He motioned for the apprentice to come closer. "The ankle hinges are slightly loose, which makes her steps a bit unsteady."

Nevin blanched. "I didn't notice, master."

"Oh, don't be ashamed," the older man scolded in a heartbeat. "Perfect ballerinas are a dime a dozen. I think it's a refreshing change to make her an imperfect dancer. It breathes a bit of life to her. Speaking of which, you did a wonderful job on her. Modest, simple, yet beautiful. She'll make a little girl very happy someday."

Nevin nodded, but then a double-take on her face as the master continued making her pirouette on one foot.

"Is something wrong, my boy?"

He leaned down to be at the same level as his creation. "You're going to laugh, but I thought I saw her grin instead of smile."

The old toy master didn't laugh. But his own smile became very warm. "That's how you know you're on your way to becoming a master, Nevin. When you become truly devoted to your work, your work begins to take on a life of its own." He then gestured to his own doll. "I was planning on making him a black cat with a matching suit, but I could almost hear him begging for a light grey suit instead. Black didn't look good against the shade he wanted, so I styled him after Lady Amsel's faithful companion."

Nevin snapped his fingers with a wide smile. "So _that's _why he felt familiar! I have to agree with you, master. Orange and cream looks wonderful on that shade of grey."

"Yes, I'm quite pleased with him myself. You know, it's nearly five, and it's been a good day. What do you say we go ahead and close up shop to start dinner?"

"I'll lock the door," the apprentice promised, setting the doll on the edge of the table that held the master's toy making supplies.

The master set the ballerina on his work bench in order to begin turning off the lights in the front room and shop.

ooOoo

The next day, the old toy master was staring in silent amusement. He had been certain that the dolls had been set on completely different pieces of furniture the night before. But now both the lord and ballerina were on his worktable, sitting side by side with their heads turned to each other.

'_Should I tell him? No, he'll think I did it. It will be more amusing if he sees it for himself.' _"Oh Nevin!" he called out, picking up the dolls before the apprentice could see their new positions.

"Yes, master?" the young lad called out as he ran down the stairs from their personal living quarters to the shop below.

"There was one thing I forgot to critique on your ballerina." He played with the long ponytail. "This is a modest young lady. Don't you think that shoulder length or thereabouts might suit her better?"

Nevin walked in and took back his doll for a second inspection. "You know, I think you're right. I was thinking that long wasn't quite right. Thank you, this shouldn't be a moment before I start on the next toy."

"Go ahead and set her in the window display when you're done. You've earned it."

The young man grinned widely before running out of the room. But as the old toy master turned to his own with a handful of freshly snipped cat whiskers, he couldn't help but notice that the gloss he had put over the mint green eyes didn't seem to shine the way they had before. Even the feline mouth was set in a sad line.

"Oh, don't be upset with me," he implored with a warm laugh, sitting down to finish his work. "You'll see her again before the day is out."

ooOoo

"Nevin! It's time to close up!" his master called while knocking on the door.

The young man bit back a groan of disappointment, but put down the block of wood. "On the bright side, you get the place of honor," he informed the ballerina, since she had been by his side since her haircut. "The window display only goes to the best toys."

"Oh, you didn't set her there, yet?" the toy master asked as his apprentice opened the door. "Would you mind setting our feline friend there as well?"

"Of course not, master. You know, I really think I should stick to carving," Nevin said conversationally while taking the lord like doll. "Sewing doesn't bring me any joy."

"It's the hard parts that make the job worth it. I hated carving when I was an apprentice, and now it's my favorite part." He gripped the boy's shoulder in encouragement before walking off to start dinner again. "You did a wonderful job on her dress. Don't give up on others."

Nevin nodded, although he wasn't very enthusiastic about it as he moved into the shop and toward the front window, which had been styled as a tiny toy village. After a bit of thought, he arranged the cat doll into a somewhat casual position on a bench outside a yellow house, and his ballerina next to a large mirror that was supposed to be a lake.

The master was right! Her ankles did not want her to stand! No matter what position he chose, she kept falling over, even when he leaned her against a tree or the wooden black bear that was nearby hunting for berries. Growling in frustration, he arranged her in a traditional ballet pose with one leg stretched in front of her while kneeling, almost pointing at the swans with her body.

That will do.

ooOoo

The next morning, Nevin was staring in shock. He had placed those dolls apart. He _knew _he had placed those dolls in separate parts of the display!

"Master?" he called out, double-checking that the door was not yet unlocked.

"Yes, my boy?"

"Did you rearrange the display during the night?"

"Of course not. Is everything all right?" he asked while entering the shop.

"I put our two dolls on opposite sides, and now they're side by side!"

A little curious, the toy master came over to look for himself.

The two were now in the middle of the display, sitting together underneath the large toy tree that was the focal point of the village.

"Well, what do you know," the toy master mused with a smile. "They like each other."

Nevin stared at him in surprise. "What are you talking about? Dolls are dolls. Even if we treat them like they're alive-"

His keeper only smiled and patted his shoulder. "Try separating them again, and see what happens. Oh, and don't forget to unlock the front door. A duke's servant is coming for the swan family today."

Nevin followed him with his eyes, confused beyond reason. Why on earth wasn't he more upset? What if someone had snuck into the shop? He quickly looked around, but saw nothing was missing.

Sighing, he set the feline lord back on his bench, and the girl against the bear's belly, as if resting from her dance.

He spent the day carving a crow, but couldn't quite get his mind off of the two dolls. Dolls didn't move around by themselves, and his keeper wouldn't play a game like this on him.

He hoped.

Nevin double-checked the dolls at the end of the work day, but they were still where he had left them. He chewed his way through the soup and hardy bread, but couldn't get his mind off of the strange incident.

"Don't you like the food, boy?"

"No… I mean yes! The food is wonderful."

"So what is on your mind? You are rarely so distracted, and I can tell you aren't thinking of a toy."

Nevin looked down at his food and took a deep breath for courage. "Master? I would like to stay in the shop tonight."

The toy master quirked an eyebrow with amusement. "That worried, are you?"

"I don't understand how _you _aren't! What if toys are stolen this time?"

His keeper chuckled, but waved a hand in permission. "They won't. But you are free to see that for yourself."

'_I hate it when he talks like that.'_

ooOoo

Armed with a large club, Nevin locked up the shop and put out the two oil lamps that illuminated the small shop. He sat down in front of the door, held his club in one hand, and kept himself ready for anything.

All that he encountered was silence. The night was perfectly still with only the tick, tick of a handful of toy based clocks to measure the passing time.

His eyes drooped at such a soothing sound, but he shook his head and pinched one cheek to keep from drifting off. _'It's a good thing I'm a light sleeper. If anyone so much as touches the door, I'll wake up even if... I… drift off...'_

ooOoo

A door opened, making his eyes snap open in an instant. He raised his club in defense, but then quickly hid the weapon with an embarrassed smile.

"Peaceful night, my boy?" his master asked with a gentle smile, exiting the door that led to their workshops in order to open shop.

"Yes, sir. That's the first noise I heard other than clocks."

Still smiling gently, he looked into the window display. "I don't suppose you sleepwalk?"

Feeling a chill in his heart, Nevin got up while leaving the club on the floor, and looked under the tree again.

On the side facing the window, the two dolls were once again sitting side by side.

"I… no one… they were separate last night!" he stammered in shock.

The toy master laughed at his bewilderment. "This is proof to you, my apprentice. Even mere toys can have souls… and hearts."

"Souls… they're alive?" the young man whispered in surprise.

"Everything is alive. It doesn't exactly hurt that both of us poured our hearts into making these two." The toy master looked carefully at the two dolls and smiled warmly in defeat. "I have seen cases like this before in my time, although it isn't often. By whatever means, these two will not be separated."

With all the care of a loving father, the man picked up both of the beautifully crafted dolls. He straightened first the lord's legs, and then adjusted both arms loosely to his front.

The one arm still refused to go near his chest.

Now focusing on the tiny ballerina, he straightened her legs and eased her feet into the en point position. Her own arms were curled from an under position.

To Nevin's surprise, the two dolls slipped together with all the ease of perfectly made puzzle pieces. His precious ballerina was now tucked comfortably into her gentlecat's arms with her own over his. Now securely together, the toy master set them back in their preferred place under the tree, unintentionally becoming the new focal point of the display. Without thinking twice of it, the old man took his hands off the two toys.

Instead of tipping over like the apprentice expected, the two dolls stood together as firmly as if they had been made as one. With the way they had been intertwined, it was a wonder that they weren't.

"Oh my," the apprentice breathed. "Now I wish I made her a cat as well."

"… I don't know," the toy master decided. "It's a charming contrast between the two. How interesting; when these two are together, their imperfections become obsolete. He doesn't need to bend his arm all the way when he's holding her, and she doesn't have to worry about her wobbly ankles as long as she stays in his arms. Nevin, we need to make sure they're sold together. It would be cruel to separate them."

"… I agree, master. They feel happier like this, somehow."

The old man grinned and patted his head. "I knew there was a toy master in you. Now come along before our breakfast turns cold. There is much to do."

"Yes, master." He made to follow the man out of the shop, but stole another look at the two dolls.

They really did look good together. Why was it worth the fuss of keeping them apart? He suddenly felt silly for going so far, even if they were only dolls.

Nevin decided to add a touch of his own as the strangest apology he had ever given. Reaching over the toy buildings and under the tree, he turned his ballerina's head enough to rest on the cat's shoulder.

Perfect.


End file.
